Kasich won’t seek to lease Ohio Turnpike

Gov. John Kasich has made it official: the state has decided not to lease the Ohio Turnpike.

Instead, the turnpike would issue bonds backed by future toll revenue and use that money to build critical transportation projects mostly in northern Ohio, he said in Toledo today.

Kasich, a Republican, will be in Austintown later today to discuss the decision.

The state will borrow money against future toll revenues that Kasich said will reduce the state’s $1.6 billion highway budget deficit and provide money to build roads and bridges.

The program also keeps tolls lower than they likely would have been under a lease program, he said. The program calls for freezing some local tolls and limiting future toll increases to less than what they have been in the past, Kasich said.

The Ohio Democratic Party criticized the plan saying that Kasich’s proposal threatens jobs and communities along the turnpike for partisan political gain.

Comments

Someone needs to tell the Ohio Democrat Party that it was NORTHERN OHIO, the area Kasich is targeting for major transportation projects, that reelected President Obama to a 2nd term.

The region Kasich is targeting is certainly not the Republican part of the state, it is the Democrat part of the state. The Ohio Democrat Party should be thankful our Governor, who is doing a tremendous job cleaning up the left mess by Taft and Strickland, is looking to benefit these blue counties of Ohio.

It would be best to eliminate all tolls, change the name to "The Ohio Expressway," and raise the gas tax to cover the costs. Add more simpler, lower-cost exits at favorable locations, and encourage private-sector development. The great increase in traffic would spur more corporations to make further investments. Freeway exits always outperform toll road exits in development. The turnpike corridor isn't being used at nearly its potential, and most of that's due to it being a toll road. Exit infrastructure costs are also increased in most cases due to the fare controls.

Maybe you missed this in Civics class, valleyred, but Governor Kasich apparently didn't. The Governor serves ALL the people of Ohio, not just folks/areas who support the nominee he endorses in a national presidential election.

Pyroc The Commisssion fired the contractor for not following the blue prints that they gave him. They are now suppose to put it out for new bids and they are sueing the contractor. My guess is won't be done for some time.